Two weeks ago, Hawaii’s two U.S. House members issued a sobering statement on an oft-ignored component of the state’s chronic housing crisis: the military.
A sparse, incomplete report conducted by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) concerning the U.S. military’s impact on Oahu’s housing shortage inspired their frustration.
“This uninspired report from the Department of Defense,” Congresswoman Jill Tokuda’s statement said, “confirms what we all knew: that the military has a major impact on our housing supply and the availability of housing that our kamaaina and families can afford.”
The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act, signed into law on Dec. 22, 2023, mandated a careful accounting of the U.S. military’s impact on Hawaii’s housing needs.
The report shows that the DoD is begrudgingly aware of its “mini” housing crisis in Hawaii. The crisis, however daunting, will only abate when the DoD resolves to build more housing on Hawaii’s military bases.
The DoD’s analysis was made available in December 2024. Of the more than 42,000 service members who reside on the island of Oahu, approximately 25,500 service members reside on military installations. About 14,700 occupy rental housing off-base, while 2,150 service members have purchased homes.
Forty percent of service members live off-base, causing them to occupy more than 1 in 10 private rental properties on Oahu. Based on the age, condition and supply of military housing, it is safe to suggest that a housing shortage exists across our military installations.
The military’s housing shortage is part of a broader picture. According to a 2019 state study cited by the City and County of Honolulu’s 2024 Housing Plan, the five-year demand for rental units stood at 11,857 units or 53.5% of the total housing demand for the island. Estimates provided by the DoD suggest insufficient quality housing across Hawaii’s military installations. The recent report produces a working number of the number of units needed across their bases in light of documented off-base demand: 13,614 units.
We need to advocate for more housing on our military bases. While short-term rentals are also negatively impacting the supply of affordable housing, this does not negate the military’s influence on the housing crisis.
Denser, transit-oriented housing developments and investments in infrastructure on our military bases are feasible solutions to the housing shortage.
Furthermore, these measures can go a long way toward demonstrating the military’s willingness to invest in Hawaii.
Our military members and their families remain key parts of our local community. Oahu received $7.8 billion in economic impact output from the defense industry over the last 12 months, estimates the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Like the rest of Oahu, they deserve safe and affordable housing.
The push to renew restructured land leases between the U.S. military and the state of Hawaii should factor into the broader cost of the military’s presence in Hawaii. While the military may raise concerns about the cost of maintaining old housing while building capacity for new on-base housing, it is a necessary investment.
The U.S. military’s impact on our housing crisis is far from negligible. When the DoD fails to maintain the quality of existing housing stock while expanding the housing supply, other residents must compete with military members and their dependents. This is unfair to residents or members of our armed services (and their dependents).
Furthermore, it is unfair to the people of Hawaii.
Perry Arrasmith is director of policy at Housing Hawai‘i’s Future, a nonprofit focused on housing for Hawaii’s younger and future generations.
